


Everything Has a Price

by deaanbeaan



Category: Fable (Video Games), Fable 2 (Video Game), Fable 3 (Video Game)
Genre: Beards (Relationships), Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Forced Marriage, Gay Walter Beck, Lesbian Character, Lesbian sparrow, Monarchy, Multi, New Monarchy, No Lesbians Die, Period-Typical Homophobia, Secret Relationship, Systemic homophobia, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:47:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaanbeaan/pseuds/deaanbeaan
Summary: Sparrow is a lesbian, and has been happily married to the woman of her dreams for a few years. What will happen when the council representatives of Albion ask her to be Queen?Content warning for systemic homophobia and a forced marriage. Don't worry, there is no heterosexual sex or real relationships, and this mainly focuses on Sparrow and her wife.
Relationships: Hero of bowerstone/original female character
Kudos: 2





	Everything Has a Price

**Author's Note:**

> So I have written this because I always play as lesbian sparrow, but that makes no sense canonicaly for fable 3. Essentially, I made this to work out how a lesbian sparrow could have kids directly related to her bloodline.

Sparrow couldn't believe her eyes. She was used to getting letters from the Council representatives of Albion, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be reading this.

_Dear Sparrow,_

_As you are aware, Albion has been in need of strong leadership for quite some time now. We haven't had much success with the council of representatives, much to our dismay. The people do not take us seriously, and we only have control over our respective regions. This has caused quite some upset for a while now. The people have made it clear they want more consistent leadership. Who can blame them? When some cities have laws and others don't, it can be very confusing and dangerous for people looking to travel, and it makes us undesirable to many other countries who we may wish to trade with._

_We put it to a vote, and decided we need a figurehead for Albion. Someone strong, someone who has Albion's best interests at heart._

_However, we need this to be a long term arrangement. Longer than your life or ours. The only feasible way we could think of was to start a Monarchy, and who is better fitted than the saviour of Albion?_

_The people love you. You sacrificed wealth and your family to bring back the citizens who lost their lives in Lucien's spire. We expect very little pushback from the public. Truthfully, most of them will be relieved to finally have a ruler protecting the whole country. Your heroism has not only gained their trust, but also guaranteed that Albion will be in safe hands for generations._

_When convenient, please come to the Cow and Corset during one of our meetings to discuss this further._

_Kind Regards,_   
_The Council Representatives of Albion._

'Honey, come here!' Sparrow shouted. She was shaking like a leaf, unable to process what she had just read.

Her wife ran downstairs, hearing the panic in Sparrow's voice. 'What's wrong, are you okay?' She asked.

'Beth, read this,' Sparrow said shakily, handing Beth the letter.

Beth read the letter in silence. The letter seemed to have a profound effect on her, although Sparrow couldn't pin how it made her feel exactly. Shock? That would be understandable. Apprehension maybe? Also understandable.

'Well, what do you think?' Sparrow asked.

Beth sat the letter down on the table and took a seat. Sparrow followed her lead, knowing this was something they'd have to seriously discuss. 'This is a lot to take in,' Beth said quietly, 'I can barely believe it's real. I don't know what to think.'

Sparrow was unsurprised, as she felt the same. 'It is, and I'm not rushing into a decision,'

Beth smiled and let out a small chuckle, 'Darling, I don't think you can refuse.'

This came to a shock to Sparrow. 'Beth, I don't mean to brag, but I'm the most powerful Hero Albion has seen in centuries. It's not like they can force me. What are they going to do, kidnap me and force me at gunpoint to rule? If they have any sense, they'll know that I could easily overpower them.'

Beth reached over and held Sparrow's hand. The small comfort eased both of their nerves. 'Oh, my sweet little Sparrow. You're the strongest woman in the world, and yet you're so naïeve.'

'What do you mean?' Sparrow asked. She could see the sincerity in her beautiful Hazel eyes.

'They can't physically force you, but you underestimate them. If you refuse, they could easily ruin your reputation, or worse.' Beth said with anxiety. What was unsaid seemed the loudest to Sparrow. She realised that if she refused, they could hurt Beth. Sparrow couldn't let that happen.

Sparrow brushed Beth's brown curls behind her ear, 'Beth, I'll never let them hurt you.'

Beth leaned over and kissed Sparrow tenderly, 'Oh honey, I know. I'm so lucky to have you. There's something else, though.'

'What do you mean? It's not like there's anot-'

Oh. Sparrow had forgotten there were other people suited to the job. She knew Hammer wouldn't take the offer. Monk vows tend not to align with being a monarch. It was doubtful that Hammer would break her vows again, as the warrior monastery seemed to suit her too well. They still kept in touch, and as far as she knew, Hammer wouldn't be interested in ruling at all. In fact, she seemed to hate being in any sort of position of authority. It was safe to rule her out.

It would be unlikely Garth would even be offered the position as monarch. He was native to Samarkand, which wouldn't go down well with a good chunk of the population. That, combined with him being a mage would make people very distrustful of him. Little is known about Samarkand in Albion, and the "information" about it is mostly half truths or outright lies depicting the people of Samarkand as wild and dangerous. Even if Garth was offered the position, he likely wouldn't want to come back to Albion again anyway. He had told Sparrow this years ago, and she had no reason to believe his mind had changed. Judging from his letters, he seemed far happier back at home, where he could study old kingdom magic in peace.

Someone who would definitely jump on this opportunity would be Reaver. He definitely wouldn't be their first choice, but if she refused, she knew they'd ask him eventually. There were no other known heroes, and he would be their only viable option. Not only would he run Albion into the ground if he were monarch, the suffering of the people under his rule would be unimaginable. Bloodstone was a lawless, miserable Town. Most women ended up turning tricks just to make ends meet. Most men ended up as pirates just to provide for their families. It absolutely broke Sparrow's heart. The people had no real choice in how to live their lives. Sparrow couldn't let that happen to Albion.

'Beth, you're right. I can't refuse. If I do, Albion could very well end up being ruled by Reaver, and I'd rather die than see that happen.' She said firmly. The seriousness in her tone told Beth she was firm in this decision.

Beth smiled, 'You should go to them soon. Although, you might want to mention you remarried, they seem to be under the impression that you're going to have little hero heirs, and something tells me they might be a little shocked to find out you're married to a woman.'

Sparrow laughed, 'Surely they know I'm a lesbian? They went to Anna's funeral after I defeated Lucien. I'm also pretty sure I've told them about you. No, I'm certain I did, they were invited to our wedding!'

'Darling, they didn't come. I mean, it's not like they could've came anyway, you didn't send out the invitations until a week before the wedding,' Beth interjected.

The two women laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. They were used to people being oblivious to their relationship. While a lot of people in Albion were accepting of same gender couples, sometimes people couldn't wrap their heads around the concept. This seemed especially true in rural areas. As they lived in Oakfield, this was something they commonly experienced.

One particular incident that made them laugh happened only a few weeks ago. They were at the Sandgoose and had a few to many drinks. Normally, the couple weren't very affectionate in public. Beth wasn't a fan of public displays of affection, and Sparrow respected this. However, the booze made Beth super affectionate, and she pulled Sparrow into a deep kiss, not caring there were about twenty people watching. The barman said to Beth when she had went up to get another drink, 'You're together? I thought you were sisters!'

That night wasn't all fun though. Some people didn't react very well to it. Some men said disgusting things to the couple, which they just brushed off as them having too much to drink. A couple of men tried to follow them home. That did not end well for them. In only a matter of seconds, Sparrow had them knocked out with the handle of her pistol and brought them to the guards. Luckily, the guards promised to apprehend anyone who would try to harass them again. They kept their promise, but it didn't stop some people being horrid to them.

Pulling Sparrow out of her memories, Beth said, 'I just hope they take the news okay. They seem to really want you to produce some future hero monarchs for them.'

Sparrow scoffed, 'Well they won't be getting any. We can adopt anyway, like we've been planning to. Sure, they won't be getting a hero, but we will make sure to raise our child to be a good, compassionate person. It's either going to be me or Reaver, and I'm sure they'd much prefer me over him.'

Sparrow noticed Beth shift uncomfortably. It was understandable that she'd have some anxiety over this. 'I just hope you're right.'

Sparrow packed a few essentials, ready for her journey to Bowerstone. 'Are you sure you don't want to come with me?' She asked Beth.

'You know I'd love to, but someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on our chickens.'

Sparrow smiled. Beth's caring nature was one of the most attractive things about her. 'Okay honey. Don't forget there's a pistol in the bedside table and a sword under the bed. I hate not being here to protect you.'

'Sparrow, you don't need to worry. The guards here are great, and there hasn't been any sort of attack here for years. The only dangerous thing here is the beetles, and I'm sure I can handle them,' Beth said.

Sparrow embraced her wife and kissed her passionately. 'I love you honey, I'll be back as soon as I can.'

'Honey, before you go, there's something I want to tell you,' Beth said. Sparrow couldn't pin whether this would be good news or bad news. While Beth did seem a little on edge, she also didn't seem to be upset or angry.

'Yeah, what is it?' Sparrow asked, setting her bags down on the ground.

'Well I was thinking about the council wanting hero heirs, and I think there might be a way around it,' She spoke with excitement. 'What do you mean?' Sparrow asked, suspicion heavy in her voice.

'Oh don't worry, it's nothing bad. I did some reading, and it's very possible you and the other three aren't the only heroes in Albion!' Beth exclaimed.

'Yeah, but Theresa always told me that they weren't nearly as powerful as us. What's this got to do with me having baby heroes anyway?' Sparrow said. She knew she was coming off as overly defensive, and she felt bad for it. Any time she was confused, she would do this. It was her way of not letting people know she had no idea what they were talking about.

'It has everything to do with it. Look, I know they aren't as powerful from the get go, but a lot of that is likely from a lack of training. They do come from weaker bloodlines, but they'd certainly be enough to keep the council happy.' Beth was right.

'I see your point, but how would we even find them? Heroes are really rare now, I don't think it will be easy to find another one, much less an orphan who is a hero,' Sparrow replied. She appreciated Beth's idea, but it did seem implausible.

'There is one way, but I'm not sure if you'll like it…' Beth paused.

'Honey, so long as the plan doesn't involve me having sex with a man and having to give birth, I'm all ears,' Sparrow joked, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't want to leave while things felt so heavy.

'Right, well, I remembered what happened to you and Rose when you were children, and, well, look. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but no one has lived in the castle since that night. The thing he made you stand on, it reacts to your will. Every hero has will, so couldn't we use it to test people to see if they're heroes?' Beth said, obviously trying very hard to approach the subject with tact.

'That is an idea, but I'm not sure if it is a good idea in the long run. If people find out that we have that technology, things could go very bad. There's a reason why heroes are only called on nowadays when the need for us is great enough,' Sparrow explained.

'Why? People deserve to know if they are heroes. The world would be better and safer if there were more heroes trained to protect Albion?' Beth asserted.

'In theory, yes. It doesn't actually work like that. The heroes guild fell because a lot of heroes thought they were above the law. They used their powers for evil and exploitation. There was even a rebellion in the guild before all of that to allow evil quests. I'm talking about quests to slaughter entire villages. The rewards for them were high enough for many heroes to become corrupt. Beth, back in the time when heroes were common, for every good hero, there was an evil one. Even if there were a lot of heroes who were good, the guild certainly was a terrible organisation, and it deserved to be burned to the ground.' Sparrow said, becoming increasingly angry.

'I-I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea,' Beth responded, sounding hurt.

Sparrow softened her tone, 'Honey, no, it wasn't a stupid idea. You just didn't know. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. The corruption in the guild disgusts me. Everything could have been so different if it hadn't became a cesspool of god complexes. There's already so little heroes left, and I'm afraid if we start discovering more and train them up, we could end up destroying heroes for good if history repeats itself.'

Sparrow didn't realise tears were falling from her eyes until she felt Beth's soft hands wiping them away. Sparrow gave her a gentle kiss and hugged her as if she was afraid to let her go. When she finally pulled away, Beth kissed her once more and said, 'You're right. It was worth a shot, and at least we have a failsafe to come back to if they really dig their heels in.'

Sparrow smiled, 'Gods, I'm so lucky to have you.'

The couple cuddled on their Summerseat for a while, neither one wanting to end their moment of bliss. Sparrow knew it would likely be about a week before she'd see her wife again. Ever since Anna died, she had vowed to never leave for more than a few days at a time if she married again. Her biggest regret in life had been how she treated Anna. Always out on adventures, coming home only once every few weeks. Even when she was home, she'd rarely stay more than a few days. When she married Beth, promised herself she'd never do that to her.

Having to leave for so long was making her very antsy. Almost as if Beth could read her mind, she said, 'Lucien isn't here anymore. I'll be fine, I promise.'

'If you want to read up on the guild, I should have some books about it somewhere in the house. It'll give you something to do while I'm away,' Sparrow suggested, just to change the subject. She didn't like talking about what happened to Anna. Beth already knew everything, and she was kind enough to never pressure Sparrow into talking about it.

'Yeah, I think I will do that. You should bring something to read in the carriage too,' Beth said.

'Oh I know exactly what I'm bringing to read,' Sparrow smiled. She had packed a poetry collection Beth had written for the journey. She loved how her wife could string together words in such a beautiful way.

'I best be going now. I'll see you soon honey.'


End file.
